2. one // back of my van

and this is how it starts

take your shoes off in the back of my van

We drove down the street in my mom's old van. The back had the seats put down and was made into a makeshift bedroom for our mini roadtrip. It was only for the weekend, but it was still a nice getaway. We hadn't been able to hang out as much since she got into that relationship with some guy that seemed to be ruining her life. But she apparently was happy enough that she never left him. Although, I wished she would. I'd been friends with her for so long and we'd always had a thing between us. But this boyfriend of her's messed everything up and I was left behind.

"And this is how it starts," Brandy sighed contently as she ran a hand through her hair that blew around her face in the wind. Her window was rolled down all the way to let the heat of the day fill the car. "The weekend roadtrip of a lifetime."

I nodded, turning the radio down so maybe we could talk. We had some catching up we had to do. "Are you excited?"

She turned to me and flashed her perfect smile. "Duh. I've been looking forward to this since we planned it."

"So, two days?"

Her melodic laugh filled the van, quickly getting lost in the sound of the air blowing in through the window. "Yeah, the passed two days, it was all I could think about."

"How'd your boyfriend feel about this?" I inquired.

Brandy didn't like talking about her boyfriend much. Well, she did, but she didn't like giving details about him. She wouldn't tell me his name, which came across as kind of weird and suspicious. But she also told me he experimented with drugs sometimes, so I guess I understood.

She sucked in a breath between her teeth. "I actually never told him."

"What?" I asked, letting out a surprised laugh. Brandy not telling her boyfriend? That was weird. He seemed to be so controlling, wanting to know everything about her life.

"I told him I was staying with Hero for the weekend." she shrugged.

"Does Hero know?" I asked.

Hero was the girlfriend of my best mate, Ashton. But she was also one of Brandy's good friends. I assumed that Hero wouldn't have a problem with covering for Brandy, but it was up to Brandy's not-so-brilliant memory to actually contact the girl to inform her.

"Yes," she said in a "duh" sort of tone, punching my arm. "I'm smarter than I used to be, Hood."

I chuckled. "That coke-addicted boyfriend of yours is actually making you smart?"

Her playfulness died off. "Too far."

"Sorry." I apologized quickly.

I ran a hand through my hair. Being around Brandy was like walking on eggshells lately. I knew it was that boyfriend of her's. I always wanted to talk to her about it, but I hated making her upset with me. So I turned the radio back up and drove us in silence.

-

It got darker quicker than expected. We already stopped at a burger joint to grab something to eat, so we stopped in a motel parking lot to sleep. We parked near another car to make it seem like we were with them - I had experience with this stuff - before crawling into the back. I strung fairy lights around and covered the floor in pillows, blankets, and a mattress that covered the entire floor. I pulled the curtains shut over the two windows before sitting down across from Brandy.

"Oh," Brandy chirped, opening the back doors and sliding out. "I should take my shoes off."

"Brandy," I chuckled. "Just take your shoes off in the back of my van."

"It'll get dirty." she whined.

"I'll put 'em in the front seat, alright?"

"Alright."

She kicked off her high tops and handed them to me, her feet left bare - Brandy hardly ever wore socks - before climbing back into the van. She closed the doors as I tossed her sneakers into the front seat.

Just as we both settled back in, her phone began to go off. She looked at the caller ID and sighed like she was exhausted. Instead of answering, she turned the ringer off and tossed her phone to the side.

"You're...you're not going to get that?" I quizzed, pointing to the phone that was still lit up.

"Nah." she waved the suggestion away.

"Is it your boyfriend?" I wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she breathed. "But I don't really want to think about him right now. It's just you and me this weekend, Cal."

This weekend. If only it could be every weekend and every day in between.